"It's mothers out here who are burying more children than they are graduating children," said Suemaryl Allen. For most of her childhood, scenes of violence became routine for Allen, living on 34th and Vermont.

"A lot of people that I grew up with are no longer here," Allen said. "You didn't have to be from another neighborhood to get shot or to get robbed or whatever the situation may be. It happened in my own back yard."

Shots fired in her grandmothers back yard were normal. Violence shaped her and led her to living hard. Allen said it almost killed her until someone else's death saved her.

On Aug. 14, 2011, a shooting at Shawnee Park during an adult kickball game killed three people. The first person killed was 22-year-old Antonio Anderson Jr. Within days witnesses helped police identify the two men who they say opened fire into the crowd. Arrests quickly followed but the impact of Anderson's death lingered, affecting Allen in an unexpected way: She met his mother.

"When I met her and I heard her story about her son, her losing her child, that was what really got me," said Allen.

A mother of two, Allen said it hit too close to home and the violence that she had grown accustomed to upset her instead.

"I couldn't imagine life without my children," said Allen.

Allen felt she had been given a new perspective. She started to change herself by asking one question, "What can we do within our community to help reach people?"

Allen started with a simple T-shirt campaign with the slogan, "Put down the guns, we want our city back."

"We came up with the shirts and the shirts were just a way for people to say, 'Oh my gosh!' It was simple, but it was reaching people. I remember the first time I wore the shirt, people were like, 'Where did you get that shirt from?'" said Allen.

The enthusiasm spread and just months later Allen worked with community activist Christopher 2X to organize a march to honor Louisville's survivors of violence.

"To me, it was the victims coming out saying, 'We're here. We're here. We're living. This is my life, I'm taking it back,'" said Allen.

And with that march, compassion took full bloom in Allen.

"They were all victims and didn't deserve anything that they got. Nothing. And once upon a time, they couldn't speak for themselves. And it was because people like me who were scared to say anything to step up. So now, I'm coming forward because this needs to stop. This needs to stop," said Allen.

Allen said she wants to challenge her generation before it destroys itself and the children following behind. It's her goal to inspire and shape young minds in her community and to teach that the solution to violence is a change in perspective, not changing the bullets of a gun.

SOUTHEAST OF LEXINGTON. SURVIVORS OF GUN VIOLENCE HERE IN LOUISVILLE WANT TO BE HEARD. A YOUNG MOTHER IS TRYING TO DO HERE PART AFTER LOSING MANY CLOSE FRIENDS TO VIOLENCE. WLKY'S ANN BOWDAN HAS MORE IN TONIGHT'S "STREET VOICES" REPORT. FOR MOST OF HER CHILDHOOD..THESE SCENES AND SOUNDS..BECAME A PART OF SUEMARYL ALLEN..LIVING ON 34TH AND VERMONT. SHOTS FIRED IN HER GRANDMOTHERS BACKYARD..NORMAL. VIOLENCE SHAPED HER..AND LEAD HER TO LIVING HARD. SUEMARYL SAYS IT ALMOST KILLED HER. UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE'S DEATH... SAVED HER. AUGUST 14TH, 2011, A SHOOTING AT SHAWNEE PARK DURING AN ADULT KICK BALL GAME HITS THREE. THE FIRST TO FATALLY FALL..22- YEAR OLD ANTONIO ANDERSON JR. WITHIN DAYS..WITNESSES HELPED POLICE IDENTIFY THE TWO MEN WHO THEY SAY OPENED FIRE INTO THE CROWD. ARRESTS QUICKLY FOLLOWED. BUT THE IMPACT OF ANTONIO'S DEATH LINGERED..AFFECTING SUEMARYL IN AN UNEXPECTED WAY. SHE MET HIS MOTHER. A MOTHER OF TWO, SUEMARYL SAYS IT HIT TOO CLOSE TO HOME..AND THE VIOLENCE THAT SHE HAD GROWN ACCUSTUMED TO..SUDDENLY ACCOSTED HER INSTEAD. SUEMARYL FELT SHE HAD BEEN GIVEN A NEW VISION..A NEW PURPOSE. SHE STARTED TO CHANGE HERSELF..BY ASKING ONE QUESTION.. NOT A QUESTION THAT HASN'T BEEN ASKED BEFORE..BUT IT'S HER ACTION THAT THAT MADE AN IMPACT. SHE STARTED WITH A SIMPLE T-SHIRT CAMPAIGN..ONE THAT HAD A REAL LIFE, GRITTY EDGE..AND CARRIED A MESSAGE...'PUT DOWN THE GUNS..WE WANT OUR CITY BACK'. THE ENTHUSIASM SPREAD. AND JUST MONTHS LATER, SUEMARYL WORKED WITH COMMUNITY ACTIVIST CHRISTOPHER 2X TO CREATE THIS MARCH TO HONOR LOUISVILLE'S SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE. AND WITH THAT MARCH, SOMETHING TOOK FULL BLOOM IN SUEMARYL ...COMPASSION. THEY WERE ALL VICTIMS AND DIDN'T DERSERVE ANYTHING THAT THEY GOT. NOTHING. AND ONCE UPON A TIME, THEY COULDN'T SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. AND IT WAS BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO WERE SCARED TO SAY ANYTHING..TO STEP UP. SO NOW, I'M COMING FORWARD BECAUSE THIS NEEDS TO STOP, THIS NEEDS TO STOP."

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